#laurus travel

[laurustravel]

Japan tours for Seniors

Are you looking for Japan tours for seniors. Laurus Travel has what you are looking for. Please visit https://laurustravel.com/japan-tours-for-seniors/ for our Japan tours for seniors.

[cruella-devegan]

Vegan tasting menu: Lou-Mei Carrot

Laurus

Carlton - Melbourne - Australia

[hotelbooking]

Hotel Laurus - Liburnia Featuring an outdoor pool with sun loungers, Hotel Laurus offers also a spacious terrace offering panoramic views of Kvarner Bay. It is located above the village of Volosko near Opatija. Comfortable rooms at Hotel Laurus have air conditioning, flat-screen TV, minibars and work desks. Most have private balconies with sea views. Breakfast is served daily in the restaurant or on the terrace. Guests can have it served in the room as well. The hotel includes a' la carte restaurant with beautiful terrace and outdoor seating. The Laurus Spa and Wellness Centre offers massage and beauty treatments, which need to be booked in advance.

[craftylittlenerd]

Snippet Sunday

Tagged by @westernlarch for another snippet Sunday, or more like snippet Monday as I got to spend the day with the family yesterday 😁 Tagging @kalliesa @luciferbecons @partofmycharm @misseffect  @serendipitys-teapot @hauntedjellyfishtraveler to participate if you are so inclined.

So I have a few projects in the works and I debated on weather I post a snippet from one of my fanfiction or from one of my original works. After some debate I figured I post a snippet from my oldest fic that I’ve been taking a break on as I’ve hit a bit of a road block with it. 

Working Title: New Life “So, you’ve been staying here with the Commander?” Castis asks outright; he was never a man to beat around the bush.“ Until she wakes up, I don’t...we’re in this together... I...”  Castis nods understandingly, “Towards the end of your mother's illness, I never left her side.”  His voice grows soft as he remembers Laurus, how Corpalis Syndrome robbed her of being able to do the simplest of tasks. The subtle shake of her hands, the smallest stutter or slurring of words in her otherwise eloquent speech, the weakness she felt in her body. It was too late before either of them realized that these were all early symptoms and not just signs of old age. The disease took its time, taking Laurus away from him slowly over two and a half years, the preventive medication barely doing anything but prolonging the inevitable. Robbing them of their golden years together.  Garrus remembered how his dad hovered over his mother every chance he got while he and Sol had to coax their dad into simple tasks like eating or sleeping. Now the tables were turned, and it was his father’s turn to do the same to his son. Castis could see the weariness on his son’s face, how his clothes fit loosely around his frame.  “I cannot fault you for wanting to do the same, but I will fault you for the smell. When was the last time you showered? Garrus felt like he was thirteen all over again with that question and the look, spirits his father knew how to make him feel like a child.  His father grined, knowing he’d gotten Garrus right where he wanted him. “Wash up; your sister will be a bit longer with the doctor. Then we can go grab a bite to eat.”  Garrus looks around, unsure of what to do or even if he could use the shower in Shepard’s hospital room. He didn’t have a clean change of clothes either, not having returned to the Normandy in the last few days. Miranda and Dr. Chakwas were always able to shoo him away when Shepard was heading into another surgery. Even primarch Victus was able to persuade Garrus out of the Commander's hospital room while one of the other crew members visited.  Usually, he returned to the Normandy to shower, if not quickly buff his plates before changing his clothes. Sometimes he was able to get some sleep; other times, Garrus had enough of an appetite to eat a small meal.  When someone couldn’t visit, or no surgery was needed, Garrus stayed by Shepard’s side no matter how much the staff grumbled. He didn’t want her to wake up alone thinking she was resurrected again; it was her biggest fear. Something Shepard had confided in Garrus early on if not Cerberus, then the Alliance, or worse, some other fringe group would try it again.  It made her uncomfortable in hospitals — even the med bay on her own ship made her skin crawl. Yet she pushed that down anytime any of her crew was injured, or doctors at Huerta needed supplies they wouldn’t otherwise be able to get in Reaper-controlled territory. It's why Garrus never left because he knew Shepard would never leave any of them. Even when Ashley was in the hospital and the two women were at odds, Shepard still looked out for her friend.  “I can’t; there’s no one...I don’t have...” Garrus stammers as his father tossed him a small travel tote.   “I made a call, was able to pull a favor and get you an overnight bag, and your pilot friend Joker said he’d be by momentarily.”   One of these days, Garrus told himself he’d stop being surprised by his father. Today wasn’t one of those days, and tomorrow wasn’t looking any better. Garrus looked at the bag he had just caught mid-air like it was some puzzle to be solved. Upon opening it, he found a change of clothing, some toiletries, a sanding stone and buffing brush, and a few other needed items.  “I’ll watch over her until you’re done washing up. She won’t be alone, son I promise.” Garrus nodded and went into the small bathroom with a mundane shower hoping to get enough hot water to drown the ache in his muscles.   Once Castis heard the bathroom door latch, he pulled a necklace out of his pocket. The slim golden chain of turian design had a simple locket holding an image of his beloved. “Laurus, what do I do? You were always better at these things than me.” Sighing, Castis sat in the all too familiar uncomfortable hospital chair, watching over the woman who captured his son’s intrigue. Castis wasn’t ready to call it love yet. He’d only heard Garrus’s side of things. Made the connections during those long conversations when Garrus first arrived back home. He even approved of the human commander; she was more turian than the two of them combined. Castis knew the feelings were mutual, Victus had told him as much when they talked that morning. There were rumors of a taboo hand-holding incident with a high-ranking Reaper Advisor and the famous Commander on Menae.  Though here she was frail and in a hospital bed — Commander Jane Shepard of the Normandy, first human Spectre, hero of the Citadel, conqueror of the Collectors, Savior of the Galaxy. Her image on the extranet and vids didn’t do Shepard justice, painting her as a larger-than-life figure for humanity to live up to.  Something Castis was sure even she couldn’t live up to. Maybe it would have been better if she had died in battle — to die for the cause, be the legend she had been built up to be. An honor for any family. What more could the Alliance ask for? Yet what kind of world would she be waking up to? What impossible pedestal would she be put upon? All of that didn’t matter to Castis, what mattered was his son, as selfish as that was — but he knew Garrus. No matter where Shepard went, he knew Garrus would follow.  “I’m not good at these things. Garrus's mother was the delegate and worked in the diplomatic corps back on Palaven. She turned down a council position after the kids were born, wanted to give them some form of stability. Something Citadel life doesn’t always allow. I know my work didn’t allow that even after joining C-Sec. Duty always came first. It’s the turian way, but Laurus could always find the balance.” 

Castis sighed again as he looked down at the locket in his hand. “You two would have gotten along. From what I’ve been told, you're a strong, confident woman, eloquently spoken, and have a wicked sense of humor — all things my Laurus was.”A hitch in Casti's voice. “If not for you, I have a feeling I would have buried a child and my wife. It’s a debt I can never repay, yet I owe you my thanks, Commander.  You brought my son back to our family. He was able to say goodbye to his mother,  but if you could just do one more impossible thing and wake up.”  Castis leaned over Shepard’s bed and placed the locket next to her head, pinning it to the pillow so it wouldn’t get lost.“Laurus, watch over our son’s mate. Help the commander find her way back to the world of the living. I’ll watch over our boy — make sure he keeps both feet on the ground.”  Garrus had exited the bathroom, washed and dressed in the items his father had brought him. The clothing hung looser than Castis liked, his brave child wasting to nothing. Still, he didn’t blame Garrus; he knew too well what it was like to wait in this hell. How it aged your soul and left you a shell of who you once were. 

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Saturday, July 1, 2023

July 1st_June 18

St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco the Wonderworker (movable holiday on Saturday closest to June 19th).

SAINT JOHN OF SHANGAÏ AND SAN FRANCISCO (1966)

In honor of the June 2nd feast of the great hierarch, ascetic, and wonderworker, John Maximovich of Shangaï and San Francisco,  we let Archpriest Peter Perekrestov, an eyewitness of the opening of St John’s coffin on October 12th, 1993, recounts the event.

Vladika John passed away in 1966 while visiting Seattle with the wonder-working Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God. After the service, he went to his cell and was found reposed before the icon. The funeral was held in San Francisco, but not immediately, because it took a long time for all the bishops to assemble. Metropolitan Laurus (then Igumen Laurus) and Archbishop Averky (Taushev) traveled for three days by car from Jordanville - almost three thousand miles. Although Vladika John's body had not been embalmed, it showed no signs of decay before or after the funeral. San Francisco's Board of Supervisors had given the Holy Virgin Cathedral parish council special permission to bury the Archbishop within the city confines, under the church building. We used to have a storage room in the basement. This room was transformed into the sepulcher where Vladika John's remains were laid to rest.

People went to his tomb before the glorification, as with Blessed Xenia in St. Petersburg. Initially, they prayed for Vladika John, but then they started praying to him, leaving him their lists of names. And numerous miracles occurred. The veneration of Saint John and the process of his glorification began as a grassroots movement and was not one directed from above. His reverence was growing rapidly, and thus the question of his canonization arose relatively soon. However, it was a great miracle that a decision regarding his canonization was made.

At that time, the head of our Russian Church Abroad was Metropolitan Vitaly (Ustinov), and it is no secret that he had not been favorably disposed toward Archbishop John. As a result, Vladika Vitaly was less popular in San Francisco. Nevertheless, Archbishop Anthony (Medvedev), the ruling hierarch of the Western American Diocese, told me after returning from the Synod meeting in September 1993: "You won't believe what just happened. At the Synod meeting, I suggested that materials for the possible glorification of Archbishop John be collected, and Metropolitan Vitaly unexpectedly said: 'Let's glorify him'!"

After this turn of events, it was decided to uncover Vladika John's remains. Archbishop Anthony invited Archbishop Laurus, to whom he was very close and trusted, and several priests, including an archimandrite who used to be Archbishop John's leading acolyte. The keeper of the sepulcher was also invited.

For some reason, there are particular days when every single detail is remembered. Father Alexander Schmemann reflects on this in his diaries. We can forget details of very important days: our wedding or ordination days, but some days and moments are always remembered. We recall every fact: the weather and the color of people's clothing. For example, although I served with Archbishop Anthony (Medvedev) for twenty years, I remember only certain moments well. I can close my eyes and feel him sitting nearby, see him separating his Panagia and Cross on his chest, and clearly see his facial expression. In the same way, I remember the day when holy Vladika John's relics were opened: It was like a small Pascha.

Most of us have never opened a coffin after twenty-five years after the burial. From a human perspective, I felt trepidation and some reluctance before St. John's remains opened. I was a young priest and honestly couldn't say I felt too comfortable around dead bodies. At about 9:00 p.m., we went down to the sepulcher and began serving a Panikhida. Our wives and children knew about this. Although Vladika Anthony asked us to keep this a secret, we convinced him we could not keep this a secret from our wives. They would ask where we were going at that hour. Vladika Anthony then gave us his permission to tell them.

They were waiting for us at home with great anxiety. Several days before the opening of the relics, a small delegation had gone down to the sepulcher to investigate things. The board consisted of three clergymen, one of them being a carpenter. The casket was in an aboveground concrete sarcophagus. The delegation needed to know in advance how the extremely heavy cover of the coffin would be removed. Because of their efforts, when we went to open the remains, we knew what needed to be done. Two-by-fours, a crowbar, sheets, and other items had been prepared. We lifted the cover of the sarcophagus and saw a corroded metal casket under it. The coffin was covered by a bishop's mantle, which had been put there on the day of Archbishop John's funeral. The mantle was intact. Then the coffin was raised slightly with ropes, but it started to collapse because it had completely rusted through in many places. So we put the two-by-fours under the casket to support it. The next step was to open the casket lid.

The key to the lid had been kept by one hieromonk for more than twenty-five years. He approached the casket and solemnly put the key into the keyhole, but the lid would not open. It has rusted through, and the lock did not work. Then our protodeacon got down to business and tried to force open the lid with a crowbar. He was a very strong Russian and weighed around 375 pounds. However, Archbishop Anthony disapproved of such use of brutal force, believing it is not proper and pious to open the lid in such a manner, so he stopped the protodeacon, crossed himself, closed his eyes, and started reading the 50th Psalm.

I would like to step back momentarily and recall the events that led to this. When my wife and I were deciding whether or not to move to San Francisco, she was quite hesitant because we would be living very far from family. In the Russian Church Abroad, we do not have such a strict policy regarding clergy assignments and transfers as in Russia. Usually, a bishop will propose, and the priest can either agree or refuse. The quandary is that many of our priests have secular jobs, and not everyone can leave his job because not every parish can provide its clergy with a decent salary. So we went to San Francisco for a "scouting" trip. I had more superficial reasons for moving there. I thought of the grand cathedral, the numerous youth, the large Russian population, and the active parish school. But my wife was a bit skeptical about those things. We saw the city, got to meet some of the clergy, and, right before our departure, were invited by Vladika Anthony to his residence. Archbishop Anthony lived alone. He did not have a cell attendant or a driver. He usually used the city buses and always carried a briefcase with him. He even put his food purchases in that leather briefcase when he went shopping. The Archbishop greeted us at the door, sat us down, and started cooking everything himself. When the food was ready, he faced the icon corner and said the Lord's Prayer. My wife later remarked that she had never seen anyone reading "Our Father" in such a way. Vladika Anthony was not simply reading a prayer; he stood before the living God, addressing Him. There was no formal element in his prayer. When we left Archbishop Anthony's quarters, I asked my wife: "Well, Lena, what do you think?" she replied: "With a bishop like that, one can live and serve anywhere." That was the deciding factor for us regarding our move to California

This same bishop was praying during the opening of St. John's relics. Vladika Anthony completed Psalm 50, took the lid, and quickly opened it. I believe we could not open the lid from the beginning because God wanted the relics to be uncovered by Archbishop Anthony, a man of high spiritual life and purity. The lid opened, and we glimpsed at St. John's vestments. Initially, they were white but now had become green. It seemed they were moldy. We then touched the vestments, which fell apart in our hands because of decomposition. When a priest is buried, his face is covered with an aer: the one used to wrap the Holy Gifts at the Liturgy. Such an aer was covering St. John's face. Archbishop Anthony crossed himself and raised the aer covering Vladika John's face. This was the moment when I saw Archbishop John's face for the first time. His face and body were intact - incorrupt - and we were looking at true relics.

Vladika Anthony appointed me as the photographer for this event. I was taking pictures with a film camera (this was in 1993). I ran out of the film and rushed home. All the lights were on in our apartment-it was like the Pascha. Although it was around midnight, my wife was waiting for me. I began saying loudly: "He is incorrupt! His relics are incorrupt!" I then grabbed some film and ran back to the sepulcher. Matushka started to phone others to share our joy. When I returned to the sepulcher, a sick boy was brought to the relics who was the son of one of our diocesan priests. Archbishop Anthony gave his blessing for the boy to touch the relics. And the boy was healed. Now he is entirely healthy, much taller than I, and plays college rugby. A wooden casket had been prepared in advance to replace the metal one that had rusted away. We placed the relics in the wooden coffin, closed it, and left the sepulcher praising God.

The preparations for the glorification were moving ahead quickly. New vestments were being sewn for St. John. We opened the relics again in several months to wash them and vest Vladika, but we needed to figure out how to do this. No reference book had detailed instructions on cleaning and preparing relics before a glorification service. Archbishop Anthony was searching all his books. He found some historical data on canonizations, including how St. Theodosy of Chernigov and St. Ioasaph of Belgorod were glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church. He also found some articles in the publication of The Church Herald and other old periodicals. There was some information there, but we had to figure out most things ourselves. In Russia, perestroika had only just begun, and the opening of relics was not yet widespread. There was nobody to ask. We washed St. John's relics using water, oil, and rosewater. Initially, his skin seemed light in color, almost white, but it turned a rather dark amber color after it was washed. I combed out his hair and beard (I even found several hairs in the comb afterward). We changed his vestments and left him in the sepulcher until 1994, when he was glorified on the day of his repose, July 2

St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco was glorified as follows: First, the relics were brought from the sepulcher to the cathedral proper and placed in the center of the church. A Panikhida was then served, the last one for Archbishop John. At the end of the Panikhida, an icon of St. John, wrapped in a cloth, was laid upon the closed reliquary. The Panikhida finished with the words: "May God bless and give him rest, and by his holy prayers have mercy on us." After the Panikhida, the All-Night Vigil began, at which the stichera (verses) to the new saint were sung. During the litya, when a list of saints is remembered, St. John was mentioned for the first time: "Our father among the saint's John, Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco the Wonderworker, whose glorification is presently taking place, and all the saints..." That Vigil was unforgettable!

Saturday, July 1st, 2023. St Jon's relics has been brought out of its shrine and sits in the middle of the church from Thursday to Saturday 

During the polyeleos, the Metropolitan came up to the reliquary, untied the icon of St. John on top of it, and two tall priests raised it on high so the faithful could see it. Afterward, the reliquary lid was lifted, and everyone could see St. John's relics. Immediately, all present did a full prostration, and the numerous clergy sang the Magnification to the new saint.

The glorification service was beautiful and genuinely conciliar, with the participation of numerous faithful. It was also one of the most important spiritual events in my life. And I will not cease to remark that our generation is highly blessed. Not one generation has received as many mercies from God as we have: We have not experienced wars and witnessed the rebirth of church life in Russia and the glorification of the New Martyrs and St. John. In addition to these blessings, we have seen and taken part in a tremendous and unprecedented miracle: the unification of the two parts of the Russian Church!

Archpriest Peter Perekrestov is currently archpriest of the Holy Virgin Cathedral “Joy of All Sorrows” of San Francisco, where St John Maximovich of Shanghaï and San Francisco reposes.

Source: Orthodox Christianity

PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11 

5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself. He became obedient to the point of death, even at the end of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

LUKE 10:38-42; 11:27-28 

38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village, and a confident woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." 41 And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her. 27 And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!" 28 But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"

[my-russia]

List of contemporary Russian books translated into English

1. Zulekha by Guzel Yakhina 2. Day of the Oprichnik by Vladimir Sorokin 3. The Sacred Book of the Werewolf by Victor Pelevin 4. The Librarian by Mikhail Elizarov 5. Light-Headed by Olga Slavnikova 6. The Girl from the Metropol Hotel by Lyudmila Petrushevskaya 7. In the House of the Hanged: Essays and Vers Libre by Sasha Sokolov 8. Sister of the Four: A play in two acts by Eugene Vodolazkin 9. Laurus by Eugene Vodolazkin 10. Daniel Stein, Interpreter by Lyudmila Ulitskaya 11. 2017 by Olga Slavnikova 12. The Big Green Tent by Lyudmila Ulitskaya 13. Little Zinnobers by Elena Chizhova 14. The Time of Women by Elena Chizhova 15. Bride and Groom by Alisa Ganieva 16. The Mountain and the Wall by Alisa Ganieva 17. Hanuman's Travels by Andrei Ivanov 18. Leningrad by Igor Vishnevetsky 19. The Rehearsals by Vladimir Sharov 20. Before and During by Vladimir Sharov 21. In the Wolf's Lair by Anna Starobinets 22. Catlantis by Anna Starobinets 23. The Icarus Gland by Anna Starobinets 24. The Plucker by Anna Starobinets 25.There Once Lived a Woman Who Tried to Kill Her Neighbor's Baby by Lyudmila Petrushevskaya 26. There Once Lived a Girl Who Seduced Her Sister's Husband, and He Hanged Himself: Love Stories by Lyudmila Petrushevskaya 27. Aetherial Worlds: Stories by Tatyana Tolstaya 28. Claws of Rage by Anna Starobinets 29. An Awkward Age by Anna Starobinets 30. White Walls (collected stories) by Tatyana Tolstaya 31. The Slynx by Tatyana Tolstaya 32. Harlequin's Costume by Leonid Yuzefovich  33. The Blizzard by Vladimir Sorokin 34. Calligraphy Lesson: The Collected Stories by Mikhail Shishkin  35. The Light and the Dark by Mikhail Shishkin  36. Jacob’s Ladder by Lyudmila Ulitskaya 37. Night Watch (Watch #1) by Sergei Lukyanenko 38. Solovyov and Larionov by Eugene Vodolazkin 39. The Funeral Party by Lyudmila Ulitskaya 40. Leonardo’s Handwriting by Dina Rubina 41. On the Golden Porch by Tatyana Tolstaya 42. The Man Who Couldn’t Die by Olga Slavnikova 43. Ice by Vladimir Sorokin 44. The Hemingway Game by Evgeny Grishkovets 45. The Yellow Arrow by Victor Pelevin 46. Homo Zapiens by Victor Pelevin

[charmingmarchioness]

The Leidenschaftlich Army - PART 1

"Little Violet, are you sure about this? I can just tell them you're unavailable for a month or two."

"There's no need to be worried, President Hodgins. Besides you cannot say that same exact line every time they requested me. It will only look suspicious."

"But that place is too dangerous for you. They might drag you back to the army."

"Fear not. I will never let that happen so please be at ease."

Hodgins is trying his best to reason out at Violet who is currently in the same car as him. They are about to arrive at their destination which is the Military Defense Department, it was a huge building that is located in the capital of Leiden.

Violet Evergarden was personally requested by the current Brigadier General of the Leidenschaftlic Army to write an important treaty that will bring peace and harmony towards the Ancient Kingdom that is located in the farthest side of the continent. It is rumored that the Kingdom possess strong warriors who went through great lengths of training. That is why the people who are in power is afraid of such threat that might endanger their beloved country in the near future.

Being entrusted with this important task is truly hard for Violet and for Hodgins. For Violet's case, she is afraid that she might make an unwanted mistake that will endanger the whole treaty. For Hodgin's case, he was currently afraid of what will Gilbert do once he found out that he let Violet take a request in such a dangerous place. He contacted the telephone that is located in Gilbert's office, hoping to reach him for the ten minutes remaining time before the departure, but unfortunately, the one who answered the call was his subordinate named, Idris. That man told him that Gilbert is still in the middle of an important meeting and was not sure when will it end.

They finally arrived in front of the Military Defense Department and was greeted with courtesy by the soldiers who are waiting for their arrival. At first, they are too speechless after being enthralled by the detailed beauty of Violet. Hodgins sighed heavily and thought 'What a pain.'

"Former Lieutenant Colonel Hodgins and Miss Violet Evergarden, we've been expecting your arrival. We shall escort you to the venue. Soldiers! Line up!" The soldier commanded. He seems to be of a higher rank compare to the other soldiers.

"Yes, Sir!"

One of the five soldiers went back first to inform their arrival while the four remaining soldiers lead the escort.

While they are being escorted, the soldiers who are doing their daily combat practice caught sight of a very beautiful woman whose features is akin to a doll. The soldiers who are at the training grounds literally stops of what they're doing just to be able to take a glimpse at Violet. Some of them already deserted the place just to share the good news with everyone.

Gilbert sat down to the chair in his office tirelessly. Laurus knocked into the door and went inside to sit in the chair in front of him. The subordinates who are residing at their superior's office glanced at the poor Colonels who looks so tired.

"At last! The Brigadier General finally gave us a break. It's been a week and It was a total headache." Laurus said sleepily.

"We cannot blame them. We are talking about trivial matters everyday but this is totally getting out of hand. After all, the peace of this country is at stake." Gilbert seconded with a shrug.

Idris went to the table of Gilbert and said, "Colonel, Former Lieutenant Colonel Hodgins contacted you awhile ago. He said it was urgent."

"Did he say anything else?"

"That is all, Sir. But, he seems to be agitated for some reason." He added.

"Very well. Thank you for informing me, Idris."

Gilbert was about to call the CH Postal Company when a subordinate of Laurus barged into his office and shouted,

"Sir! The Warrior Maiden of Laidenschaftlich has finally returned!"

Gilbert's grip over the phone gradually weakens until it fell down on the floor. He stood up from his table with wide eye and mouth agape.

"What do you mean?! Tell me!" Gilbert roared at the one who announced the shocking news.

"Sir! An Auto-Memories Doll named Violet Evergarden was being escorted to the office of Brigadier General."

After he said those words, Gilbert frantically ran as fast as he could to reach his beloved. He is now afraid for the faith of his Violet and he will do whatever it takes to protect her no matter what.

Laurus and the rest of the subordinates who were taken aback by the sudden outburst of Gilbert followed him without being instructed. Soldiers per unit gathered at the vicinity of Brigadier General's office just to witness the arrival of the legendary Warrior Maiden.

"Aww, this place is getting cramped. Little Violet, just stay beside me, kay?" Hodgins stated while eyeing the bunch of soldiers around them.

"Understood."

Hodgins sighed heavily again because of what he is witnessing right now. Those fools are too enamored with the striking gorgeousness of his so called daughter. 'Bunch of predators.' He thought.

They are currently at the spacious hall that is located outside the Brigadier General's office. They were told to wait there for a moment for he is still talking to a spy who was sent by the military to observe the country where the Ancient Kingdom lies.

The spacious hall that was once have nothing but paintings was now occupied by the soldiers who are in this department.

'Gilbert, where the hell are you?' Hodgins thought yet again, but now, he is getting annoyed by the amount of whispers he keeps on hearing from the people around the hall.

"Is she really the War Goddess that is rumored around the army? How unbelievable."

"I doubt. How can a delicate beauty like her became a weapon of war?"

"Do not be fooled by her appearance. She assassinated a lot of prisoners at the training grounds before. She just looks like that but her strength is not of a human."

"It is true! She was just a small lovely child back then who could slaughter a large amount of men in just a second."

"Ah, my eyes have been blessed! Her beauty is truly unmatched."

Violet doesn't doesn't even care of what's happening in her surroundings because her eyes keeps on searching for one man and that is Gilbert Bougainvillea.

When she looks at the right side of the hall, a man with a black patch caught her attention and Violet smiled brightly at the sight of him which makes the soldiers gawked in surprise.

"VIOLEEEEET!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

The soldiers disperse into two to make way for Gilbert who is frantically rushing towards Violet and Hodgins. 'If you mess with him, he'll definitely won't let it pass so it's better not to get in his way.'

When he finally saw Violet, he ran to her and hug her delicate figure tightly making her blush tightly.

"Major... Is something the matter? " she asked him while looking into his emerald eye.

Gilbert's heart finally calm down when he heard her pleasing voice and it seems like his tiredness also suddenly vanished. He let's go of her but his hand travels into her cheek.

"What are you doing here, Violet? Didn't I tell you not to come here?" He asked her gently while stroking her cheek.

"I do remember...Colonel, It was never been my intention to oppose you. But, I was simply requested as an Auto-Memories Doll." She sincerely told to the man she adores the most.

Gilbert's face softens when he heard her reason. He is simply proud of her dedication towards her job as an optimal doll. He strokes her golden silky hair and smiled at her lovingly.

The people in that hall watches the two of them with interest and some watches it with envy. What they are witnessing right now is not the same superior and subordinate interaction. It was far more than that.

After all, the relationship of those two became known to the public after Gilbert Bougainvillea announced Violet Evergarden as his one and only fiance. It became a hot topic for awhile because some of the ever prominent Bougainvillea clan were totally against it, but he, and his four siblings strongly fought them and defended Violet.

"Gilbert, I've been trying to reach you awhile ago, ya' know? But you're unavailable at the moment so I wasn't able to tell you the situation." Hodgins informed his friend seriously.

Gilbert nodded approvingly and two of them share a fist bump just like what a long time friends will do, not caring of everyone else.

The door of the office finally opened and it reveals the Brigadier General. All of the soldiers suddenly saluted in unison making him surprised of how many people are there.

"Ah..This is quiet a surprise." He, who is still surprised murmured laughingly.

"Hmm...It was indeed a lovely sight." Someone added.

That person also came from Brigadier General's office. Violet cannot believe of who is in front of her right now.

That person has a silver hair and a strikingly hazel eyes. It was no other than...

"It's been my pleasure to meet you again." He softly added and smiled wickedly innocent at her. It was...

"Violet Evergarden"

Edward Jones.

[snapbacpiwrite]

writing agrypha - ‘sweat’

Writing Agrypha // late 1231 AW // mid-travel snippet

The past confronts the present.  // implication of past relationships, emotional infidelity //

When Laurus looks up, it’s to meet Kit’s burning gaze. His breath catches. Kit hardly blinks. When his gaze does move, it’s to rove down and then back up Laurus’s body, cataloguing him slowly, methodically. Laurus feels his heartbeat uptick as their eyes lock together once more. He’s been ignoring those thoughts he imagined as drowned, lost to time and circumstance, but so close together and so close to the past, they’ve quickly risen to the surface, gasping, demanding attention. He lets himself take one long drag, one slow, mourning look; Kit’s changed with the passage of time, but it does him no disservice. Rather, he seems changed for the better. Strong, still, perhaps moreso now. Confident, where he once was not, easily sensed in the line of his posture, the tilt of his chest. Handsome as ever. More handsome than before. Memories of thick patches of dark hair and strong arms and whiskery kisses pressed against flesh skip like stones across the surface of his mind before he caves, closes his eyes.

When he opens them again, they are either closer together, or Laurus had not realized how close they’d leaned all along. He can see where silver-grey streaks paint Kit’s temples, and realizes quite suddenly yet slowly, it renders him more dashing than ever before.

“Cat got your tongue?” Kit offers, hauntingly familiar, but his tone is almost wistful. The corners of Laurus’s mouth twist wryly.

“Something far more pleasurable, I assure you,” he near whispers. Kit’s eyes skip to the lavish golden hoops that dangle from Laurus’s ear. His eyes track their gentle movement as Laurus sways with the ship.

“I remember when--” “Do you still--”

They each huff, gazes caught and tangled as twine of nets far and deep underwater. Laurus’s hand slides across the barrels, but he dares not touch Kit. This cannot last. The moment is too delicate, their connection too aged. There can be no hope for what lingers between them. “Do you still have my necklace?” Laurus prods quietly in the dim light. A twinkle shines deep in Kit’s eyes. Laurus’s heart skips a beat.

“Of course. Finest thing I ever stole.” “You lie,” Laurus counters, “what about the Sun of Debenia? That ugly thing was far worth its weight in gold to the Emporer and his kin.” But Kit’s shaking his head, eyes still locked on Laurus. “Your coin,” he murmurs with gravitas, and Laurus only realizes how fucked they are when he realizes he’s the perfect height to stare at Kit’s mouth a bare centimeter away, “was- is- the finest. Not for what it’s worth in gold,” he breathes, and Laurus’s eyes flutter closed as he-- The ship rocks. Laurus’s eyes snap open as he throws an arm out, catching himself on the barrels beside their position. He looks up at Kit, and with sinking anchor heart, realizes-- well.

There can’t have been a chance if there was no chance for him to begin with. And yet, it’s Laurus who takes the step back, eyes tilted downward. Dissatisfaction roils in his gut. For a moment, longing, yearning takes hold of his weak, weak heart, and then with violence he snuffs it out. “Careful, don’t tell that to your wife,” Laurus jokes, intent entirely too ill-natured for it to do anything but fall flat. Kit doesn’t laugh. He can see his hand tighten on the barrel in his periphery, and then it’s gone, ringed fingers confined deep in brocade pockets.

“Indeed. I love that woman, but she has terrible taste in jewelry. No sense for the finer things at all,” he sniffs, tone neutral. Laurus cracks a grin as something deep inside him lurches out of place and sticks. He raises his head to meet Kit’s stare dead-on.

“Nothing at all like you or I,” he mocks, and with the most unceremonious curtsy, and brushes past Kit and down further into the hold.

[vvirgils]

Chronicles of Straith #2-The Witch’s Dragon:Chapter 9

Chronicles of Straith #1-Fate’s Door///Chapter 8/Chapter 10//Masterpost

The general consensus over Roman’s disappearance was that no one would talk about it, or give an inkling that the king wasn’t around to anyone outside the palace, much to Virgil’s dismay. Everyone was patiently waiting for their king to return, like they didn’t know how much Roman hated being king.

Wherever they were, she hoped Roman was safe and having a good time. She didn’t think they were kidnapped, honestly. More likely, Roman had panicked over the unknown threat to Straith (even if the dragon was only in Archdale) and run off to the next suburb over where a nice family decided to take in the distressed traveller. Or they were hiding in the palace itself.

She wasn’t worried. They would be fine. 

She was worried. They could be anywhere.

It wasn’t like Virgil had time to think about it anyways. All she had time to do lately was put out fires, both literal and metaphorical. Rafaela was sick, whatever that meant, and there were only a few sorcerers in training who could handle even the basics of containment. They were so inexperienced, Virgil couldn’t bear the thought of making them face this unknown threat with next to no training.

Logan and Patton were both busy with their respective lives, so while she tried to deputize them in the quest of figuring out where the hell Roman went, no new information came in. She could barely manage to question the palace staff in between dealing with scared people and minimizing any damage that the misfired magical lab experiment in the woods was creating.

Sitting on top of the wall around the castle, Virgil let the snow create little mounds on her coat. It was late, but she couldn’t sleep. She got close, sometimes, but the bright bulbs lighting the castle kept her eyelids from closing. The incidents were coming about two hours apart. The next one was due in fifteen minutes, if she’d done her math correctly. Virgil had sent Laurus to her room to sleep, not wanting the dragon to overexert himself, although she was definitely overexerting herself.

The whole kingdom was visible from this high wall, and Virgil tried to ignore her shivering as she scanned the lights of the city for any disturbance. Fire, smoke, an explosion, all the lights going out. She’d seen it all, or what felt like it all, in the two days Roman had been absent. It was starting to wear at her, fray at the fabric of her sanity, and she hoped nothing would tear. 

A loud noise, shaking the bricks under her. Virgil sat up immediately, eyes following the jet of blue flame in the middle of the town, then jumped off the wall and landed in one smooth motion. The shock traveled up her legs, Virgil shook it off and ran.

It was dark, but she’d memorized the castle grounds a long time ago. Weaving in and out of bushes and trees, Virgil sped up as her feet hit the asphalt of the road. She could feel the ground shaking more under her feet, but kept running towards the source.

Brilliant blue flames were already going, and Virgil performed the incantation, the fire in the middle of the street disappearing bit by bit. She’d gotten better at this after having to do it nine times a day. When it was almost completely gone, more flames replaced it.

Virgil kept enchanting it away, but the fire kept coming, all from the same spot in the street. A source. If she could get rid of the source, the fire would go away. Thinking fast, she cast a containment spell around the fire that she could see—the damn street lights were out—and ran to where the source was, casting a small ball of light in her hand to see.

The thing illuminated before her made Virgil stop in her tracks. It appeared to be made of moving gray stone, solid red eyes reflecting her tiny light, a being towering over Virgil and most of the buildings surrounding it. Spikes on its face gave the thing an alien look, the sharp edges promising danger. The head alone was Virgil’s height, and she felt lucky it hadn’t noticed her yet when its mouth opened to let loose another burst of flame, razor-edged fangs glowing white under the blue.

She cast her gaze farther away from the fire, looking at the body of the creature. It had four legs, a tail with wicked spikes twisting from side to side and crashing into the buildings, and two protrusions that almost looked like folded…canvas? Virgil squinted at them, then realized that they were wings, wings with a long claw at the end of them.

There was a dragon standing in the middle of the street, setting fire to the cobblestones for no apparent reason, other than that it could. This was not Laurus, the cat-sized dragon sleeping on Virgil’s bed right now. This was a beast of old that belonged somewhere in a vast forest of legend, not in the heart of Archdale. Virgil had to get rid of it, keep it from causing any more damage.

Channelling her worst childhood nightmares, Virgil created an illusion of a black mass in front of the dragon. It was just smoke, pitch-black and menacing. The dragon moved back from it, no longer blowing fire. Gathering all her energy, Virgil vanished the fire while maintaining the smoke, letting it flicker only a few times before the fire was gone.

With the dragon taking step after step back, clearly frightened by Virgil’s creature of terror, she sighed with relief. The situation was under control.

It was the wrong move. With startling speed, the dragon turned towards her, and Virgil’s blood froze in her veins. Focusing on her, its eyes widened with a feeling she couldn’t place, not when it was such a foreign creature. She held her ground, not wanting to run in case it would chase. Then, the dragon took a step back, and Virgil realized it had been afraid when the creature turned around and ran for the woods, footsteps shaking the ground in a frantic staccato.

After a minute of just standing there, shocked still by the dragon, Virgil realized what this meant: She could solve this. There was nothing in books of magic, or Rafaela’s memory, about gray smudges in forests that set buildings on azure fire. But there were many things about dragons and other magical creatures.

She took a cursory glance to make sure nothing was too damaged in the street, then turned around and walked back to the castle, to talk to Rafaela. The fuzzy beginnings of a theory were starting to form in the cobwebs of Virgil’s mind, and she had a hunch that Rafaela was connected to the dragon hiding in the woods. There was no need to rush, especially when the cold of the night was turning her limbs stiff.

***

“You’re right.”

There was a long pause, then Rafaela said, “I created it.”

“How? Why? Why would you make something like that?” Virgil wanted to slap the frozen expression off of her mentor’s face. This was serious, and she was the only person who could stop it. Virgil was just an apprentice, albeit a talented one.

“It was an accident.” She refused to make eye contact with Virgil, gaze drifting along the bed and dressers of her chambers, as if drifting back to the last time she was a permanent resident of these rooms.

“How is a giant dragon an accident? Do you just misfire a simple fire spell and boom! Dragon?” Virgil said, her tone sharp and accusing. “And then you completely abandon me to take care of this thing while you sit at home and stare at the walls. This apprenticeship is really working out, Rafaela.”

The mask of Rafaela’s face twitched, and an ancient sadness filled the cracks. “I never told you about unhinged magic, did I? Although I am new to it myself.”

Virgil opened her mouth, about to fire another barrage of insults and sarcasm, but Rafaela cut her off. “Sorcery is about controlling your emotions and extending that control to the world around you. Unhinged magic is what happens when you’re not in control, and use your powers as a way to relieve those emotions. It was barely talked about in my day, I do not know how I remembered it now. That’s what I did. I didn’t intend to create a dragon, just blow off steam. I’d never done it before.”

“Why? What set it off? You’re always in control, aren’t you?”

“Now, I am. Last century, different story. It was the night after my stepfather sentenced me to eternal imprisonment. I went into the woods, to a place where I often went when I was hiding. From the king, from responsibilities, to perform magic in aid of others. A home away from home if you will. I would never see it again. I would live many lifetimes over inside the same four walls. I was mad. I lost control minutes after I walked through the door, and I sealed something in there because I was afraid of what my own rage would do.” She sighed, as if letting a weight slide off her shoulders. The weight of a secret the age of a century.

Virgil’s irritation at her mentor had not been wiped away by the story. “If it was sealed, what opened it?”

“I went back to visit, a few weeks ago. I missed it, it was so homey. And then I remembered, and I couldn’t go back and fix what I did. And it was the second time I brought harm to this country by my past errors. I was paralyzed, because I thought I would only bring more harm. I still don’t know if I can interfere without making things worse,” Rafaela finished, folding her hands in her lap and looking down at them, her face solemn.

“Rafaela, you’re the most powerful sorcerer in all of Straith,” Virgil said, looking at her mentor, dumbfounded. “If there’s anyone that can help, it’s you. Even if you did create this mess in the first place, that doesn’t mean you can’t do something.”

“I don’t know if I can face it,” Rafaela said, “It’s me, all my fear and rage from that one night, built up and ready to explode. Who knows what could happen? I could become possessed by that rage once again, or it could turn against me. I don’t know, and I can’t go in unless I know. I’m sorry, Virgil. I-I wish…” She trailed off, voice breaking apart.

“I guess I have to find Roman, then,” Virgil said, the bitterness in her voice brittle and ready to crack. “I’ll go into their quarters, see if there’s anything that hints at what happened. Roman is a private person, if there’s anything, it’ll be there. I didn’t think I’d have to do this, but you leave me no choice.” She got up from Rafaela’s bedside and walked out of the room, not willing to look back and see the look on her face.

Roman’s quarters weren’t far away, and Virgil didn’t have the time to fully think about what she was doing before she was at the door, and then inside Roman’s rooms. She had been too nervous to do this before, not wanting to overstep or invade on their space. But she was at her last resort, and Archdale’s too.

Virgil went to Roman’s desk first, because she knew that they kept a diary and well, desperate times and desperate measures go hand in hand. She’d been in here before, with Roman, and everything was always immaculate except the desk.

Right on top of the desk, there was a folded piece of paper with the words For Virgil on it. She hadn’t thought that Roman would leave a letter for just her. It was the only thing that might hint at where they were, although Virgil couldn’t banish the thoughts of it being a love note from her head. Must be the hour, it was so late.

Virgil-

I’m really sorry, but I just got the chance to visit Canea. It might be my only chance for a long time to visit and learn about my mother, and it’s not like Epos told me anything. Please tell my advisors that they have full reign, if they haven’t taken it already. I shouldn’t be gone long. The thing is, Canea has a lot of magic that I want to bring back to Straith. Maybe it could help with our forest problem? Sorry once again.

Love, Roman

P.S: To my cabinet: If I die, appoint Corbin and Sloane Gaines as co-rulers in my stead. Do not destroy the Sorcery Department, whatever you do, and don’t get mad at Virgil for learning about this before you all.

Virgil wanted to punch them, but she couldn’t deny the feeling of relief that washed over her. Canea. A concrete place, and certainty that they were alive. There was no way Canea would harm the child of their once-beloved princess. Now she just had to get there and drag them away from whatever they were doing in there.

One problem: she couldn’t leave Straith when there was a dragon on the loose. Fortunately, Virgil had friends.

[the-thespian-bae]

20 questions 20 tags

Rules: answer 20 questions, tag 20 people

Name : Morgana🔮

Nickname : Lil' one

Zodiac sign : Aries♈

Height : 5'9''

Languages spoken : English, Italian, Spanish, decadently trying to learn French

Nationality : Work in progress🦄

Favorite flower : Sunflowers, daisies and poopies✨

Favorite scent : Rain, books, spices

Favorite color : The rainbow's too pretty to choose😍

Favorite season : Autumn

Favorite animal : Flamingo🎡

Tea, coffee or hot chocolate : Coffee and Chai

Dog or cat person : Cat person, because I love both but I feel more similar to a cat🙃

Average sleep duration : 5/6 hours and working on it

Number of blankets you sleep with : Three on average🌙

Dream trip : Either travelling across the Rift Valley or going to NYC🌌

Blog established : Circa 2018🙈

Followers : I have no clue

Random fact : I love the theatre with all my heart 💫 this quarantine made me fall for mythology 💫 I always bring a book with me everywhere I go 💫

I was tagged by @literature-n-coffee

I tag @apeironostalgia @wellitsangela @hoplesslydevotedtomeryl @laurus-and-helicrysum @annaswintour @overromanticizing @sarahstreep7

[chthonic-cassandra]

re book recs: hope this isn't too vague, but i feel like---well, not "feel like", this is just a fact---all i ever read is contemporary english. i would love to read something translated, and/or something not modern (other than ancient roman/greek obvs)---i feel like you know my tastes pretty well? i treasure the book recs you've given me in the past (claire of the sea light & bend sinister---i *adored* them both)

Hi friend! It brings me such joy to know that my past book recs have been enjoyed!

Hmm, let’s see.

- Sándor Márai, Embers (translated from the Hungarian, 1942) - Marai’s style and themes are a little divisive (several of his novels are written almost entirely in dialogue; this one in particular has lots of men ruminating about memory), but I think there’s a fair chance it might work for you.

- Sigrid Undset, Gunnar’s Daughter (translated from the Norwegian, 1909) - A woman in Medieval Norway seeks revenge and healing after a sexual assault. This is, astonishingly, a really well-handled rape plot line in a novel from the turn of the century! Wow!

- Andrei Bely, Petersburg (translated from the Russian [get the Maguire and Malmstad translation], 1913) - a story of young revolutionaries, but more than that about a city; crazy and amazing style

- Manuel Puig, Kiss of the Spider Woman (translated from the Spanish, 1976) - two Argentinian prisoners, one imprisoned for homosexuality and the other for political activism, tell stories to keep themselves and each other alive

- Gyula Krúdy, Sunflower (translated from the Hungarian, 1918) - I realized I just recommended this to someone else, but I don’t care. Surreally fantastical story of young lovers; prose to die for, even in translation.

- Evengenij Vodolazkin, Laurus (translated from the Russian, 2012) - dreamlike picaresque about a rural mystic traveling through different ages of Russian history.

I’m not sure what your feelings are about eighteenth and nineteenth century fiction; I would need some more data points to offer proper recommendations in those areas, I think.

[laurustravel]

Japan Garden Tour with Laurus Travel

Tokyo – Mt. Fuji – Hakone – Kanazawa – Takayama – Shirakawa-go – Kyoto – Nara – Osaka – Hiroshima – Miyajima – Okayama – Tokyo

Embark on a journey that transcends ordinary travel and immerse yourself in the enchanting world of Japanese gardens with Laurus Travel’s Japan Garden Tour. This meticulously crafted experience is designed to captivate your senses and unveil the profound beauty that lies within Japan’s lush landscapes encapsulated in gardens. From historic tea gardens to contemporary Zen spaces, immerse yourself in the serenity that defines Japan’s garden culture.

Immersive activities include a traditional tea ceremony and a sushi making lesson. In addition, well-researched commentaries will be provided throughout the tour on a wide range of topics such as Japanese history, culture and challenges the country faces in this rapidly changing world.

Visit https://laurustravel.com/japan-korea-tours/japan-garden-tour/ for tour details.

[zoes-witchblr]

83 Herbs and Their Magickal Properties

(Taken from themori-witch, didn’t reblog because it was a read more that lead back to their blog and I wanted this on my blog permanently. This is not my post. Please do not reblog this. Here is the original.)

“Okay, so this is going to be a long text post so sit your cute butt down and get comfortable. You may want to make some tea or grab some kind of nourishment before you get comfortable because you are going to be here for quite a long time.

Angelica Root: Sun, Fire, masculine. (Angelica Archangelica) Used in protection and exorcism incense blends. In root form it can be carried in a sachet or pouch as a protection talisman and can be used in baths to remove curses and/or hexes. When smoked, it can induce and altered state of mind (visions). It protects by deflecting negative energy and strengthens the positive energy within the carrier. It also enhances the aura and encourages a happy and positive outlook.

Relieves tension headaches, is a diuretic and is beneficial to the stomach and to digestion. It can relieve a build up of phlegm in asthma and bronchitis sufferers.

Caution: large doses of Angelica Root can adversely affect blood pressure, heart and respiration. Can cause miscarriages in pregnant women!

Basil: Mars, Fire, masculine. (Ocimum Basilicum) For use in love and prosperity magick; carry to attract wealth. Sprinkle it over a sleeping lover/partner to ensure fidelity in your relationship or use in a ritual bath to draw new love into your life, or free yourself from an old love. It can be used for purification and protection.

Bay Leaves: Sun, Fire, masculine. (Laurus Nobilis) It can be used in potions/poultices to induce an altered state of mind (visions) and enhance clairvoyance and wisdom. When placed beneath a pillow on its own, or chewed, Bay can induce prophetic dreams. It wards of evil when carried and can be used to exorcise evil when it is burned. To cleanse yourself, you can put Bay into a bath or a tea and use that way. To protect your home/space and those within it, scatter it on the floor.

Blessed Thistle: Mars, Fire, masculine. (Cnicus Benedictus)Blessed Thistle is used for protection from evil, purification, hex-breaking and can remove unwanted malevolent influences. Scatter the herb to douse buildings/rooms.

It is often used in healing magick as it can strengthen liver function, aids the combat of hepatitis, aids memory and purifies the blood. It can also help with migraines, nausea and gallstones.

Burdock: Venus, Water, feminine. (Articum Lappa)Use Burdock in protection incense blends or in a sachet with the intent to protect the carrier. To purify a person, tool or space, burn it and use the smoke. Use in healing matters - particularly of the feet.

Blackberry Leaf: Venus, Water, feminine. (Rubus Fructicosus)A powerful protective herb that is commonly used to invoke the Celtic Goddess, Brighid who presides over healing, poetry, smithing, the home and sacred wells, and faerie spirits. It can be used in magick to attract wealth of any kind. If twined with Rowan and Ivy (in the form of a wand, staff or sacred symbol), it keeps malevolent/baneful spirits at bay.

Cacao (Chocolate): Venus, Water, feminine. (Theobroma Cacao) Aztec food of the Gods. Cacoa is a (mildly) euphoric aphrodisiac that can aid sadness and depression. As it is an aphrodisiac, it is a powerful component when used in love or sex magick. It is a mandatory offering during the Day of the Dead and can be used to appease restless spirits, or to bring them so a seance.

Camelia: Moon, Water, feminine. (Camelia Japonica)This herb is used in money to attract material wealth, such as riches and money itself. It is also used to express gratitude. On an altar, to attract prosperity, place fresh blossoms in water.

Treats skin conditions when made into a poultice.

Caraway: Mercury, Air, masculine. (Carum Carvi)When carried, it wards away spirits who seek to harm you. The seeds can be used in any magick concerning fidelity in relationships and to attract love. When used in kitchen witchcraft (a.k.a., cooking) it can induce feelings of lust.

Carob: Mars, Fire, masculine. (Ceratonia Siliqua)This is often used as a chocolate substitute due to similarities in flavour, though the correspondences of the two differ. It is used for protection and prosperity. When burned, Carob attracts spiritual guidance, familiars and poltergeists.

Catnip: Venus, Water, feminine. (Nepeta Cataria)Used oft in animal related magickal workings - especially in healing as it can increase the bond between yourself and the animal. When used in a tea, it will bring about feelings of happiness and relaxation. When used in incense during meditation, it can increase psychic ability.

Cayenne Pepper: Mars, Fire, masculine. (Capsecium Annum)Can be used to cast or break a hex or jinx, and in love or separation magick. It represents fire and thus, adds a little power and oomph to any spell or magickal working.

It contains capsaicin, which acts as a digestive stimulant. Apply it externally, as part of a poultice for joint pain. It aids blood pressure, circulation and colds/flu.

Chamomile: Sun, Water, masculine. (Chamaemelum Nobile)When used in tea, Chamomile is a very good relaxant. It is used to attract money and if worn in the form of an amulet it brings prosperity to the wearer. Use it in incenses for meditation and sleep as it relaxes the mind and body; it is often burned before magickal workings. In baths, use Chamomile on your hair and body to attract love into your life, add Chamomile tea to children’s baths to protect them. It is also useful when breaking curses.

Chickweed: Moon, Water, feminine. (Stellaria Media)Used often in moon/lunar magick, and animal magick as it was used historically as/in a tonic for birds.

Chickweed contains fatty acids, and vitamins A, B and C. It aids nutrient absorption and is a very nutritious herb.

Cinnamon: Sun, Fire, masculine. (Cinnamon Zeylanicum)Tied to spirituality, success, healing and psychic power, love, protection and lust. Burn this herb as an incense or add it to sachets or any magick related to healing, money attraction, psychic power and protection. You can mix Cinnamon with frankincense, myrrh and sandalwood for a very potent everyday protection incense. It is also an aphrodisiac, especially for men.

Clover: Mercury, Air, masculine. (Trifolium Pratense)Protection, money, love; fidelity; exorcism; success; clairvoyance; beauty. Clover brings good luck and induces a heightened clairvoyance to those who wear/carry it in a sachet or use it in an incense blend. Use in magick to enhance beauty or a youthful appearance.

Cloves: Jupiter, Fire, masculine. (Caryophyllus Aromaticus)Protection, exorcism, love; money; good luck. Burn in an incense to attract money, drive away negativity, purify and stop gossip in its tracks. Wear Cloves to attract the attention of the opposite sex or for protection. Carry it to repel any negative energies and, to protect infants in their cots hang it above them.

Coltsfoot: Venus, Water, feminine. (Tussilago Farfara)A useful component in love sachets and peace magick. If you were to grind the leaves and smoke them, you would induce visions.

It is a soothing expectorant and antisposmadic that can be used in the treatment of bronchitis, whooping cough, asthma and emphysema.

Caution: do not use if you are pregnant or nursing! [Click here for more info].

Cumin: Mars, Fire, masculine. (Cuminum Cyminum)Burn with frankincense for protection. To deflect malevolent spirits and ill-luck, mix it with salt and scatter around the home/at entryways, such as doors, window(sills) and vents. A useful herb in love magick; to induce lust, steep in wine. Place the seeds on top of objects to prevent their theft.

Comfrey Leaf: Saturn, Air, feminine. (Symphytum Offincinale)A very powerful herb for protecting against any form of negativity especially when travelling among the astral realms.

A beneficial ingredient in poultices when healing sprains, strains, fractures and sores. It also soothes an upset stomach.

Damiana: Mars, Fire, masculine. (Turera Aphrodisiaca) Used primarily in sex magick as it brings lust, love and visions. Use in spellwork to create feelings of lust, and in baths to promote and bring love. Burn to enhance and induce visions - it produces a marijuana-like effect when it is smoked. Damiana can be prepared as a tea for use in sex magick. It is a mild aphrodisiac and can be used to enchant male lovers. As a tea, it also serves as a hangover remedy.

Caution: Avoid during pregnancy and take care if you have diabetes as it has a high glucose content and can adversely effect blood sugar levels.

Dandelion Leaf: Jupiter, Air, masculine. (Tarasacum Officinale) Used in divination, wish-work and calling spirits. Brew a tea using the root to enhance your psychic power. It is used oft in rituals on and around Samhain. It is a herb of sleep, protection and healing and can be used in dream pillows and sachets. The flowers can be used in teas for healing.

Dill: Mercury, Fire, masculine. (Peucedanum Graveolens)To protect your home, hang in doorways. To protect your person, carry it with you. It is a powerful herb when used to keep malevolent forces at bay or when blessing your home. It can also be used in money spells. Use Dill in baths to enhance your attractiveness to those you desire.

Echinacea: Jupiter, Fire, masculine. (Echinacea Purpurea)It can be used universally as it adds power and strength to any and all magickal workings, especially in money/wealth spells. The dried flowers can be burned as an incense or an offering to any spirits or spirit guides you have/hold dear.

A powerful antiviral - it stimulates white blood cell production. It is also an effective anti-inflammatory and helps aid a speedy recovery.

Eucalyptus Leaf: Moon, Air, feminine. (Eucalyptus Globlus)Great healing properties - it kills germs, helps eradicate infections, eases lung congestion and is a cardiac stimulant.

It attract healing energies and can be used for protection. You may burn this herb to cleanse and purify a space of unwanted or residual energy. A good, useful herb for dream and sleep pillows.

Fennel Seed: Mercury, Fire, masculine. (Foeniculum Vulgare)Healing, longevity, courage; vitality; virility; strength. It can be used in protection magick of all kinds. Fennel is used to protect against curses, possession and negativity - use also for purification.

Fennel is used in cooking for its delicious flavour and is a digestive and weight loss aid.

Feverfew: Venus, Water, feminine. (Chrysanthemum Parthenium)Include in charms/sachets for love and protection. It is a strong herb for physical and spiritual healing. It protects travellers when kept on their person or suitcase/bags/luggage.

As a tea, it wards off sickness and bolsters the immune system. It is also an excellent treatment for migraines - it eases inflammation and constriction of the blood vessels in the head. Reduces light sensitivity and nausea.

Fig: Jupiter, Fire, masculine. (Ficus Carica)Used in fertility and in love magick; it is an excellent ingredient in charm bags. The fig is sacred to Dionysus, Juno and many other deities. It is a popular and often recommended offering on a Beltane altar. If you place one at the door before leaving, it will ensure a safe return.

Flax Seeds: Mercury, Fire, masculine. (Linum Usitatissimum)This herb is used to bring and maintain peace in the home - place in a bowl to absorb negative energy. It is a useful addition to healing and protection spells; carrying Flax Seeds in your purse or money will attract wealth and money.

Galangal Root: Mars, Fire, masuline. (Alpinia Officinarium) Psychic ability, luck, money; courage; strength; avoiding legal problems. Worn or carried, it protects and brings about good luck. Place it in a leather bag with some silver to attract money. If you wish to break spells or curses, burn a powdered form of the root. Carry or sprinkle it around the home to promote feelings of lust. When worn as a talisman it aids psychic development and guards health.

Caution: it is a mild hallucinogen.

Gardenia: Moon, Water, feminine. (Gardenia Jasminoides)Wear Gardenia to attract love and use it when conducting healing magick. Use also in Moon/lunar magick to increase spirituality.

Garlic: Mars, Fire, masculine. (Allium Sativum)Use in protection magick. Traditionally, to ward off vampires. It can be used in charms, sachets and witch bottles. The Ancient Greeks placed Garlic is stone cairns as an offering to Hecate/Hekate.

It has some great healing properties: antiviral, anti-fungal and it is strengthening.

Ginger: Mars, Fire, masculine. (Zingiber Officinale)Love, money, success and power. Consume before any sort of magickal workings to increase your power. Use in love spells. Grow Ginger in or around your home, or sprinkle inside your purse or wallet to attract money. You can use the root to carve poppets.

Ginger tea soothes nausea, morning sickness and motion sickness. It aids digestion, relieves gas and removes excess mucus from the respiratory system. It increases the blood flow, treats colds/flu and aids hangovers.

Ginseng: Sun, Fire, masculine. (Eleurtheroccus Senticosus)Use in magick for rejuvenation, longevity and sexual potency. Use the root in spells to attract love, maintain health, draw in money and heighten and ensure your sexual potency. Carry to enhance beauty. Burn to break curses or to ward off evil spirits. It can be made into lust inducing and enhancing tea.

It is used as an antidepressant, helps to even out blood pressure and aids digestion.

Hulled Hemp Seed: Saturn, Water, feminine. (Cannabis Sativa)Healing, love, visions and meditation. During a scrying ritual, burn it as an incense to attract spirits/spirit guides. When casting divination or spirit related spells using candles, add it to the wax.

Hulled Hemp Seed is very nutrient rich and so, can be added to healing formulas and spells.

Hibiscus Flower: Venus, Water, feminine. (Hibiscus Rosa Sinensis)It is often used as an aphrodisiac and is included in love magick. It is also used to induce prophetic dreams, enhance psychic and divining abilities.

It is an antispasmodic and thus, calms nerves and prevents muscular spasms. When brewed in a tea, Hibiscus flowers aid digestion and sweetens the breath. It can also help with itchy skin.

Holly Leaf: Mars, Fire, masculine. (Ilex Aquifolium) Luck and dream magick. It’s an excellent protective herb; it keeps evil spirits, lightning, poison and malignant forces at bay. The wood can be used for magickal tools, such as wands, staffs and staves as it enhances wishes, wants and desires.

Caution: do NOT consume, it is TOXIC.

Hops: Mars, Air, masculine. (Humulus Lupulus)Use this herb in healing incenses and spells. When the flowers are popped inside your pillow they will induce sleep and the tea also aids sleep. Drinking the tea after your magickal practises helps to balance and refocus your energies. Use in healing sachets and in amulets, or burn during healing prayers.

Horehound: Mercury, Earth, masculine. (Marrubium Vulgare)You can brew a tea to increase energy and strength, both physically and mentally - it increases concentration and focus. Carry or burn for protection wishes, It was called the “Seed of Horus” by the Ancient Egyptians and is an excellent tool for blessing the home. Gather flowering Horehound and tie it with a ribbon, then hang it in the home to keep it free from negative energies. The leaves and stems are used in candles, cough drops and syrups.

It is used to treat asthma, coughs, colds; sore throats; bronchitis; skin conditions. It is a diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, laxative and stimulant.

Hyssop: Jupiter, Fire, masculine. (Hyssopus Officinalis)An excellent purifying herb used in respective baths and spells. Hyssop is associated with serpents and dragons, and be burned as an incense to call upon dragon energies. It aids spiritual and physical protection.

Juniper Berries: Sun, Fire, masculine. (Juniperus Communis)Useful in all kind of protection magick; makes for a good incense for protection. It can be burned or carried to enhance your psychic power. It also attracts good, healthy energies and love into your life.

It aids digestion, eases intestinal cramps, is a diuretic and it eases arthritis.

Lavender: Mercury, Air, masculine. (Lavendula Officinalis)Sacred to Hecate/Hekate, the Goddess of Witchcraft. It is useful in love spells/love magick of all varieties. It is used during handfasting and in incenses for healing, sleep, scrying and purification. It’s perfect for use in dream pillows to promote peaceful sleep and prophetic dreams. Use to manifest money or to attract necessities. Use caution, though for if the spell is for something you desire not something you need, the results may not manifest in the way you want. Leave a wand of it in your home for spiritual and emotional protection; aids in the contact of spiritual beings.

The scent is used to treat headaches and many other ailments and it is a natural antiseptic.

Licorice Root: Venus, Water, feminine. (Glycyrrhiza Glabra) Love spells, fertility (contains oestrogen), initiates passion - carry to attract love.

It aids adrenal deficiency, endocrine support, eases stress and fatigue; helps regulate blood sugar levels, suppresses coughs and colds, aids digestion and eases menopausal symptoms.

Caution: avoid this herb during pregnancy and nursing, if you are sensitive to oestrogen or have high blood pressure.

Mandrake Root: Mercury, Fire, masculine. (Atropa Mandragora)Protection, love, money; fertility; health. It intensifies the magick of any spell. To charge a Mandrake root with your power, sleep with it beneath your bed or pillow for 3 nights during a full moon period. It is a hallucinogen when brewed into a tea and has great power as a visionary herb - it empowers them and propels them into manifestation. A whole mandrake root in the home brings protection and prosperity, and carrying it brings courage.

Marshmallow Root: Moon, Water, feminine. (Althaea Officinalis)Peace, happiness, femininity and love. Use in tea to develop an appreciation for the small things in life; natural beauties.

It has demulcent and emollient properties that make it an effective treatment for inflammation and irritation of the alimentary canal (the one food passes through), the urinary tract and the respiratory tracts.

Milk Thistle: Mars, Fire, masculine. (Silybum Marianium)Strength, exorcisms, protection, healing, hex-breaking.

It contains flavonoid sylmari which has direct beneficial effects on liver cells. A very effective liver cleanser, it can aid cirrhosis treatment.

Morning Glory Blossoms: Neptune, Water, masculine. (Ipomoea Nil) Happiness, peace and visions. Place it beneath your pillow to prevent nightmares and induce psychic dreams that will benefit you. It was sacred to the Aztecs.

Caution: do NOT consume, it is TOXIC.

Moss: Jupiter, Earth, masculine. (Isothecium Myosuoides)To ensure good luck, carry moss that you have gathered from a gravestone (please, please get permission to take the moss if you can. If you’re unsure whether you’re allowed through legal or moral means, find someone to ask or just leave it alone.). Use moss in prosperity workings and any magick to do with or dedicated to Mother Earth/Gaia/Earth deities. Add moss to witch bottles for the home and business. Place in your clothing to increase your sexual appeal.

Mugwort: Venus, Earth, feminine. (Artemisia Vulgaris)Use this herb in dream pillows to induce prophetic dreams. During a scrying ritual, burn with sandalwood or wormwood or drink as a tea (sweetened with honey) before divination. Plain Mugwort tea can be used to wash crystal balls and scrying mirrors. Mugwort lends aid in scrying.

Caution: use in a well ventilated area, poisonous if ingested and harmful to pregnant women.

Mullein: Saturn, Fire, feminine. (Verbascum Thopsis)Protection and courage. It keeps demons and nightmares at bay whilst you are sleeping; protects against wild animals. Very, very useful in protection and exorcism spells. Use Mullein when invoking spirits and use on your divination and scrying tools to aid in divination. The “Original Witches Torch”, used to illuminate spells and rites.

A good expectorant to clear the lungs. It can help with diarrhoea and sooth hemeroids.

Mustard Seed: Mars, Fire, masculine. (Brossica Campestris)Fertility, protection, mental power. It is an ancient talisman symbolising a faith in change. It keeps lovers faithful to one another. Scatter at your doorstep for protection and bury by your front door to keep supernatural entities from entering your home.

Nettles: Mars, Fire, masculine. (Urtica Disica)Carry to remove a curse and scatter around the home to prevent malevolent spirits from entering. It can be used it purification baths. It is one of nine sacred herbs of the Anglo-Saxons.

Nutritious and of benefit to those with anaemia, skin disorders and allergies. It is an expectorant and slows bleeding.

Nutmeg: Jupiter, Fire, masculine. (Myristica Fragans) Luck, money, health. Carry it on your person for good luck and to strengthen your clairvoyant powers. Use in money and prosperity spells. It is a hallucinogen when made into a tea.

Caution: TOXIC in LARGE doses.

Oat Straw: Venus, Earth, feminine. (Avena Sativa)Use in money and prosperity spells, and also in fertility magick.

Supports and soothes the nervous system, helps with the growth of healthy bones, skin, hair and nails. It is very calming. It can also be used to treat skin conditions, itching, irritation and gout.

Olive Leaf: Sun, Fire, masculine. (Olea Europaea)Healing, fertility, potency; protection; peace. It is sacred to many deities; the olive branch is a symbol of peace and harmony. Olive leaves can be used in magick to improve female fertility and male sexual potency.

It is a powerful antibiotic with antiviral and anti-fungal properties. It supports the immune system and eliminates harmful bacteria. Stimulates immune response and encourages healthy cells and antibodies to ingest harmful micro-organisms more effectively. Contains oleuropein and several types of flavonoids including, rutin, apigenin and luteolin.

Orris Root: Venus, Water, feminine. (Iris X Germanica)Love, protection and divination. A powder made from the root will draw and hold love to you. When the roots and leaves are hung in the home, it offers personal protection.

Pau d’Arco: Pluto, Fire, masculine. (Tabebuia Impetiginosa)Best used and most powerful during a waning moon - it can be empowered by drawing energy down directly from the moon and into the herb itself.

The active ingredient, Xyloidin, is a potent antibiotic and antiviral. It relieves arthritis, asthma, bronchitis; eczema; gastritis, psoriasis; pyorrhea; rheumatism; skin disorders. It is also used to treat chronic candida. A potent tonic that helps with cell regeneration; it stimulates natural defenses and revitalizes the body. It is a sedative, analgesic and diuretic.

Passion Flower: Venus, Water, feminine. (Passiflora Incarnata)Promotes emotional balance, peace, attracts friendship and prosperity. It heightens libido, - use in love magick. It is also calming and soothing and thus, aids and promotes a restful sleep.

Use to aid nerve pain and calms hysteria.

Pennyroyal: Mars, Fire, masculine. (Mentha Pulegium) Carry in a green bag to attract money and to aid in business transactions. Burn for protection for medication and astral travel. Use it for blocking negative thoughts - carry it when you are to face any and all kinds of negative energies.

Caution: induces menstruation and can therefore bring about a miscarriage when consumed.

Peppermint: Mercury, Fire, masculine. (Mentha Piperita)Purification, sleep, love; healing; psychic power. Promotes sleep and visionary dreams. Use in healing and purification baths and burn as a Winter incense.

It is useful when treating stomach upsets and heartburn; congestion and nausea.

Raspberry Leaf: Venus, Water, feminine. (Rubus Idaeus)Protection, healing, love. It is calming and promotes sleep and visions.

Very useful during pregnancy and childbirth, eases diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting. Beneficial to kidney function.

Rose Petals: Venus, Water, feminine. (Rosa Canina)Love, psychic power, healing; luck; protection. Use in love spells of all kinds. Drink rose tea before bed for prophetic dreams. Rose Petals bring about domestic peace and happiness, promotes joy.

It helps clear headaches, dizziness, oral sores and menstrual cramps. Can be used to create a heart and nerve tonic.

Rose Hips: Venus, Water, feminine. (Rosa Canina)It is high in vitamin A, B, E and K, organic acids and pectin with a high iron concentration. It can be strung like beads and worn as a necklace to attract love.

Rosemary: Sun, Fire, masculine. (Rosmaris Officinalis)Protection, love, lust; mental power; sleep; healing; exorcism; purification; youth. Burn Rosemary to purify an area and use it in love, lust and friendship magick, and healing magick of all kinds. Rosemary tea alerts the mind.

A circulatory, digestive and nerve stimulant. Heals headaches, aids depression and halitosis.

Sage: Jupiter, Air, masculine. (Salvia Officinalis)Immortality, longevity, wisdom; protection; prosperity. Use in healing and money magick. Burn as an incense during sacred rituals; walk through the smoke and into the four corners of the room to banish and repel negative influences and energies.

It can be used in poultices to heal wounds, it aids digestion, eases muscle and joint pain and eases colds and fevers.

Sea Salt: Saturn, Earth, masculine. Prosperity, protection, purification and consecration. Scatter a small amount around your sacred space to clear it of unwanted presences or residual energies.

Shavegrass: Saturn, Earth, feminine. (Equiestum Arvense)Known also as Horsetail, it is used oft in fertility spells. It helps the body absorb calcium and consequently strengthens bones, hair and nails. It controls excess oil on the skin and is a diuretic, which can help relieve urinary problems. May also help blood clot, reduce fever and calm nervous tension.

Scotch Broom Leaf: Mars, Air, masculine. (Cytisus Scoparius) A sacred Druidic tree, used for purification and protection magick. Scatter within a space to exorcise spirits that may be dwelling there and burn to calm the wind. The branches are/can be used to make besoms. Tea brewed from it can induce psychic power, whereas its smoke is a sedative.

Caution: use in moderation it can be TOXIC in LARGER DOSES.

Seaweed: Moon, Water, feminine. (Ascophyllum Nodosum)Offers protection to those at sea and summons sea spirits and winds. Use in sachets and magick to increase psychic power. Scrub the floors and door an infusion to attract positive energies. Use in money related spells.

Relieves rheumatic pain and rheumatic joints.

Spanish Moss: Jupiter, Earth, masculine. (Tillandsia Usneoides)Luck, money and banishing. Carry to ensure good luck. Use in traditional witch bottles. Place it within the home, or burn when banishing poltergeists.

St. John’s Wort: Sun, Fire, masculine. (Hypericum Peforatum)Health, protection, strength; love; divination; happiness; exorcism. Another herb sacred to Druids. Use it in protection and exorcism related workings of all kinds. Leaves within a necklace ward off sickness and tension. Carry it on your person to strengthen your courage and conviction. Burn to banish any negative thoughts or energies.

Star Anise: Jupiter, Air, masculine. (Pimpinella Anisum)Protection, purification, psychic powers; youth; luck. Use it in meditation, protection and physical and psychic incense. Useful in purification baths. It wards off evil and averts the evil eye. Pillows stuffed with star anise will ward off nightmares

It is a stimulant and diuretic that promotes digestion and relieves gas.

Tea: Sun, Fire, masculine. (Carnellia Sinensis)Riches, courage and strength. Use the tea leaves in money sachets, incense and spells. It is a stimulant, and green tea is rich in antioxidants. The leaves can be used in scryng, and in tea-leaf reading (tasseamancy).

Thistle Flower: Mars, Fire, masculine. (Onopordum Atanthium)Represents courageous defense and deep-rooted ideals. Use in protection magick and to bring spiritual and financial blessings. When carried in an amulet it brings joy, energy, vitality and protection. It can be burned as an incense for counteracting hexes.

Thyme: Venus, Water, feminine. (Thymus Vulgaris)Burn it for good health and use it in healing magick. Use it as part of a purification incense blend and wear to increase psychic power.

(Whole) Tobacco Leaf: Mars, Fire, masculine. (Nicotana Tabaccum)Sacred to Native American tradition. Smoke to initiate and allow communication with spirits, burn as a purifying incense. Spirits appreciate offerings of tobacco.

Valerian Root: Venus, Water, feminine. (Valeriana Officinalis)A muscle relaxant and sedative. Use in dream magick and protection baths. To maintain a pleasant and harmonious atmosphere within the home, keep Valerian Root in the home or garden. It may be used to purify a space and is useful for consecrating incense burners.

Vanilla: Venus, Water, feminine. (Vanilla Planifolia)Love, seduction and mental powers. Use it in love sachets and wear the oil as an aphrodisiac.

White Willow Bark: Moon, Water, feminine. (Salix Alba)Love, divination, protection and healing. Carry it on your person and use in workings to attract love. Use the leaves, bark and wood in all kinds of healing magick. Burn it with sandalwood to conjure spirits. It brings the blessings of the Moon into your life.

It eases muscle and joint pain, and is therefore beneficial for sufferers of arthritis.

Wormwood: Mars, Fire, masculine. (Artimisia Absinthium)Psychic power, protection and the summoning of spirits. Burn it with sandalwood to increase your psychic power or to conjure spirits. Useful in divining and in clairvoyant incense blends. Carry it on your person for protection and to banish anger or negativity.

Good for stomach disorders, a liver and cardiac stimulant, helps expel intestinal parasites.

Caution: poisonous in large to moderate doses.

Yarrow Flower: Venus, Water, feminine. (Achillae Millifolium)It is used to dispel melancholy, negative energy, lingering sorrow and depression. When used in a sachet or as an amulet, it repels and gets rid of negative influence. Aids in divination.

Remedies colds, opens pores and purifies the blood.”

[altvega-fr]

Ravenlore

obviously up to no good

Raum Inferno was hatched on the Earth territories under a different name, a different breed and a different guise. Details of their early life are obscure, if not cryptic even to Raum themselves. They do remember the reigning monarchy of court Elysium, which they resided within. It was a tyranny, many of the inhabitants of Elysum suffered under the ruthless ruler.

Elysium itself is positioned at the annex of Earth, Shadow and Plague territories, inviting in many interesting dwellers and most importantly, the rumoured witches that roamed Sornieth. The assumptions are, that Raum was born into poverty, perhaps eventually slipping away under the dire conditions of their life. However with a place teeming with Earth, Plague and Shadow magic, somebody had found a use in Raum’s early passing. From dust to dust, shadow to shadow and so Raum was reborn, seemingly in flesh and bone. However, their actual form was fickle and volatile, nothing more than an imprint of malleable magic in the mortal world. From thereon, Raum began changing forms to what had suited them best, travelling through Sornieth and reaping every opportunity they sought with their newfound power.

Eventually, one thing lead to another and Raum discovered a district on the borders between Plague and Shadow that advocated for gambling and other exchanges. This had instantly caught their interest, so they have decided to claim the unruly place, naming it Tartarus and turned it into a place of profit. Eventually the district had become a go- to for gaming, gambling and other services of entertainment, while the profit was channelled to Raum, now aliased as Raven. In exchange for the profits, Raven had a job of keeping shade infested creatures from entering the district.

In order to do that, Raven had named the district ‘Tartarus’ and created a mercenary group, the Inferno order that would come to specialise in deterring shades from the district. To join the Inferno order, one had to give up their name to Raven, which allowed them to keep the group in check. The inferno order had its upsides of allowing one to leave their life behind and let go, especially when such things was difficult to accomplish. As Raven got busy with latter Tartarus businesses, the management was transferred over to Gaap, an elderly witch. The running of the order was notably also managed by Merchosias (previously Laurus Llewellyn). Other known of participants of the order were Dantalion, Foras, Astaroth and Amon.

Meanwhile, Raven had the next conquest in line. After roaming Sornieth for well over two centuries, they had decided to revisit Elysium, which had now turned into nothing but wasteland. Raven’s executive decision was to find who owned the land, buy it and occupy it. Luckily the cost of it came at pretty much two cents for a disclosed reason. Raven decided to take the risk anyway and obtain the corpse of what was once their homeland.  Raven needed to obtain a status greater than a business owner, therefore they had decided to establish a court and quickly erect a palace as a starting point for Elysium’s expansion. Raven appointed Amon as their right hand due to the dragon’s monstrous strength and had decided to buy out another piece. A wanted lightning dragon under the name of Vien du Nord. Raven had decided to place Vien as the Magister and allow his magic to evolve at a natural pace to slot him into a role of a powerful battle mage, part of Elysium’s backbone.

The Inferno front still remained stationed as Tartarus, while Tartarus was elevated to the status of a black market. In order to proceed the expansion, Raven decided to attempt to claim another ungoverned territory at the border between Earth, Plague and Arcane, Dal’Orfei. Meanwhile Tartarus’ funds were channelled into Elysium to make it more habitable.

The conquest of Dal’Orfei meant the creation of one of the biggest black market chains in Sornieth. Although Dal’Orfei seemed to run itself, there were cogs that kept it running. Removing the right cogs meant a collapse to the structure. Raven decided to conduct an elaborate ploy and host a carnival (supposedly to celebrate the rebirth of Elysium) and carry out the assassinations there. The plan had not gone as smoothly as expected, due to Raven’s suspected unreliability. Despite the losses, Raven had finally won over Dal’Orfei.

[apesoformythoughts]

Fifteenth-century Russia.

It is a time of plague and pestilence, and a young healer, skilled in the art of herbs and remedies, finds himself overcome with grief and guilt when he fails to save the one he holds closest to his heart. Leaving behind his village, his possessions and his name, he sets out on a quest for redemption, penniless and alone. But this is no ordinary journey: wandering across plague-ridden Europe, offering his healing powers to all in need, he travels through ages and countries, encountering a rich tapestry of wayfarers along the way. Accosted by highwaymen, lynched in Yugoslavia and washed overboard at sea, he eventually reaches Jerusalem, only to find his greatest challenge is yet to come.

Winner of two of the biggest literary prizes in Russia, Laurus is a remarkably rich novel about the eternal themes of love, loss, self-sacrifice and faith, from one of the country’s most experimental and critically acclaimed novelists.

[theeverbloomingdarkness]

(8 letters) Ephemera: things that exist or are used or enjoyed for only a short time (his name has always been somewhat foreboding)

(5 ) Skuld: “debt” or “future” Norse mythology relations: Skuld makes up a trio of Norns that are described as deciding the fates of people (seems pretty on the nose). 

It is said that the two eldest Norns set happy fortunes for people, while Skuld, the youngest, often changes Their decrees to more tragic outcomes. Skuld as the last of the three is the Norn who fixes the length of the thread of life, or, by some accounts, unravels what Her sisters have made. 

(6 ) Ventus: Wind

(5 ) Brain: intelligence, mind, wit, the mastermind, in control??? (I’ve really got nothing here)

(7 ) Lauriam: Latin word “laurus” means triumph/success/victory. From laurel flower/plant???>>> Much of the flower’s symbolic value arises from its ability to survive and cultivate, very shade tolerant. Laurel flowers, specifically the mountain laurel, are associated with ambition and perseverance. The Greeks bestowed a wreath of laurel to poets, athletes and war heroes as a mark of achievement. According to Arena Flowers, a laurel can also be offered as a sign of treachery or false adulation (this last part from ehow, who got the info from an irl flower company: Arena Flowers and i did not see it in any other sources. take with a grain of salt maybe)

Laurel flowers are thought to represent ambition, as well as success and renown. As a gift, these blossoms are most commonly given to those heading into new phases of their life – starting a new job, going to school, even getting married or having children. They are meant to represent a wish for the recipient to have all of the success in the world, or to continue to push on with their lofty ambitions, despite any roadblocks they may come across.

Glory

Victory

Nobility

Immortality

Intellectual superiority

Second Sight (the gift of prophecy)

Recognition (renown) of High Achievement

Long-term Vision (“big picture” understandings)

(10)Strelitzia: Bird of Paradise Flower>>> Freedom and the ability to travel, due to the flower’s resemblance to birds in flight. Joyfulness

Magnificence, excellence and success

Royalty and a regal bearing

Paradise on Earth

Joy through challenges and successes alike

Faithfulness in romantic relationships

Optimism towards the future